In an exclusive interview with ABP News’ iconic show ‘Press Conference,’ Omar Abdullah, the former Chief Minister of Jammu & Kashmir, has said that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal can challenge Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the 2024 general elections.

Shedding light on his take on the 2024 elections and who he feels can challenge Modi, the working president of the Jammu Kashmir National Conference (JKNC) said, “Rahul Gandhi and Congress at least have a footprint across the county while Bihar CM Nitish Kumar has nothing much outside Bihar.”

He added that more than Nitish, Kejriwal would give a tough fight to Modi – “Rahul Gandhi challenge kar sakte hain, wo sirf isliye kyunki Nitish Kumar ji ka Bihar ke bahar kuch nahi hai. Rahul Gandhi aur Congress ka footprint jo hai wo to kam se kam mulk bhar hai. Main yahan tak kahunga ki shayad Nitish Kumar se jyada to Arvind Kejriwal Modi Ji ko takkar denge.”

The NC leader stated that the next election in Jammu & Kashmir will be fought on ‘sentiments’ rather than on the issue of development, the company said in a statement.

According to him, the development will only be a minor issue for fighting elections in the valley – “Yahan development ek issue hoga, lekin wo ek bahut mamuli issue hoga. Kashmir me election, ye wala khaas karke, ye election sentiment pe lada jaega.”

Omar further added that his party is not against the idea of development, but it will not be the main motive for them in the upcoming election. He said, “We will fight this election politically as other parties do. When BJP fought elections on the issues of Article 370, temples, cremation grounds, and graveyards, it was also fought on sentiments. So, if they can fight on sentiments, we can fight as well.”

Upon being asked who between Omar and Farooq Abdullah will become the Chief Minister of Jammu & Kashmir, Omar revealed that neither he nor his father Farooq Abdullah will contest the Assembly election. So, if the National Conference forms the government, a third leader might become the CM – “Main kam se kam election nahi ladd raha. Aur jahan tak main jaanta hun, mere waalid sahab Parliament ke member hain unhone bhi koi iss tarah ki baat nahi ki ki wo election ladd rahe hain. Koi teesra bane.”

In his fight for Article 370, Omar said that he has no hope for the restoration of Jammu and Kashmir’s special status under Article 370 from the incumbent government or from any new government which might be formed after the 2024 general elections. However, reposing his faith in the apex court he said, “As citizens of this country, we have every right to knock on the doors of the Supreme Court against the decision of any government. We hope to get justice from the court. This is not a dream; this is a reality and a fact.”

Responding to a question on the survey of Madarsas in UP, Omar said, “Surveying every religious institution is fine, and I have no issue with that. But if you survey only the Madarsas, it reeks of communalism.”

He further questioned the intention of the U.P Government alleging that any step taken by it is aimed against the Muslims. “When bulldozers are moved, the houses of only Muslims are demolished. Similarly, when a survey of educational institutions is done, only Madarsas are surveyed,” added Omar.

Reacting to the recent order of the Varanasi Court on Gyanvapi Masjid, Omar said, “We are repeatedly witnessing how sentiments of Muslims are being hurt and they are being suppressed, and Gyanvapi is one among those steps.”

He added that Congress was accused of appeasement, but one can look at the economic and social standing of the Muslim community to know if at all they were appeased. Omar warned on majoritarianism saying it won’t be good for the country if 15 percent of the population gets suppressed – “Aajkal to sirf majoritarianism ka daur chal raha hai aur ye matlab ek afsos ki baat hai aur darr bhi lagta hai kyunki 15 percent abaadi ko agar iss tarah dabaya jaaye, unke zazbaat jo hain unki koi kadar na ho to ye iss mulk ke liye achhi baat nahi hai.”